Goldman Sachs bets on generative AI and empowers ‘AI natives’
Good morning. Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s leading investment banks, is paving the way for the next generation of finance leaders to shape the future of AI in the workplace.
The bank hires about 2,500 to 3,000 interns each summer. For the 2025 internship class, Goldman received more than 360,000 applications—a 15% increase from last year, Fortune reported. With an acceptance rate of just 0.7% this year, the program is highly competitive and serves as a pipeline for permanent positions.
Goldman has a strong sense of what young finance professionals want in an employer, including a focus on technology. In a new Fortune opinion piece, Marco Argenti, Goldman’s chief information officer, argues that companies should empower young professionals with AI skills to help shape strategy.
While some predict agentic AI—autonomous systems that can perform tasks and make independent decisions—will displace junior roles, Argenti says the reality is more nuanced. Early-career workers are more essential than ever because they are “AI natives,” having grown up with generative AI and being uniquely equipped to adapt to and shape its future.
“Understanding how we nurture a generation of AI natives—and equip them with the right skills and tools to be leaders and not passive observers of this transformation—will be critical to defining the future of work, and society at large,” Argenti writes.
He continues: “Their instincts, creativity, and adaptability will determine how successfully we integrate AI into our organizations, not just as a tool but as a partner. The challenge ahead is beyond technological; it is cultural, educational, and distinctively human.”
With every major technological shift, a new generation of leaders emerges, especially entrepreneurs whose fluency with AI is reshaping the business landscape. Argenti notes: “Consider the CEOs of companies like Devin [AI], Windsurf, and Scale AI—all AI natives. Could one of them be the next Bill Gates or Michael Dell?”
Goldman recently launched its GS AI Assistant, an internal AI program that enables employees to interact with large language models securely firewalled within the company, reducing the risk of sensitive data leaks. The AI will be used for efficiency gains, the company said in an internal memo, Fortune reported.
Research shows that AI adoption among desk workers is accelerating. According to Salesforce’s latest Slack Workforce Index, a survey of 5,000 global desk workers found that daily AI users are 64% more productive and 81% more satisfied with their jobs than non-users.
More than 95% of workers have used AI to perform tasks they previously lacked the skills to do themselves, and workers are now 154% more likely to use AI agents to enhance their performance and creativity rather than simply automate tasks, according to the findings. Notably, millennials are emerging as the leading AI power users at work: 30% say they thoroughly understand AI agents, surpassing even Gen Z (22%).
As AI continues to redefine the workplace, companies like Goldman Sachs highlight the potential benefits of empowering AI natives.
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com